Visit Santoña, the town of marshes and anchovies

Santoña is perhaps the fishing village in Cantabria that has the least monumental heritage, but it more than makes up for it with its natural heritage.

With Laredo watching from the other side of the bay, Santoña has been of great importance since the Middle Ages thanks to its port and its fishing industry, whose greatest exponent is the anchovy, which, preserved in oil, reaches practically anywhere on the planet.

Here we are going to tell you what you can do in Santoña in 1 day if you decide to visit.

Guided tours and activities in Santona

A route with the best things to see in Santoña in 1 day

In addition to making a walking tour of Santoña with the places that we show you here, we also recommend that you complete the visit with one of the following excursions:

• Guided tour of the Fort of Mazo
• Boat trip along the coast of Santoña
• Visit to an anchovy factory and boat trip around Santoña
• Hiking route and beach through Santoña

1. The Forts of Santoña

Among the most interesting places to visit in Santoña, monumentally speaking, are its forts, built to defend the bay, which due to its strategic position always wanted to be invaded.

The Fort of San Carlos is the one located next to the entrance of the bay at the foot of Mount Buciero and which was the first defense of the city.

Further on, and closer to the center of Santoña, is the Fort of San Martín, which you can admire from the famous Paseo de Pereda. In the northern part of Santoña is the Fort of Napoleon, smaller than the previous ones and also less well known.

2. The Paseo de Pereda

Life by the sea in Santoña runs along Paseo de Pereda and Almirante Carrero Blanco Street (yes, surprising), parallel and enclosing a park inside where there are monuments to Juan de la Cosa and Carrero Blanco himself, both born in Santoña.

These walks go from the Fort of San Martín to the Plaza de Toros and in this area you will always find a great atmosphere.

3. Saint Anthony Square

Entering the narrow streets of Santoña we can find the Plaza de San Antonio, the nerve center of the city and where the social and commercial life of the inhabitants takes place.

In the surroundings of the Plaza de San Antonio we find the rest of the places of interest to visit in Santoña, such as the Plaza de Abastos, built in 1908 and which today opens its doors every morning to offer different products such as fruits, vegetables, meats and of course fish.

We can also visit the Casino-Liceo Theatre, the Church of Santa María del Puerto whose origins date back to the 13th century, or different palaces such as that of the Marquises of Chiloeches or that of the Marquis of Santoña.

Further north of Santoña you have the Playa de Berría, one of the best beaches in Cantabria.

4. The Santoña marshes

Who has not heard of the famous Marismas de Santoña? The Marismas de Santoña, Victoria and Joyel Natural Park, as it is officially called, is a spectacular protected natural area of ​​more than 4,000 hectares and where we can find some 20,000 birds of 120 different species.

The marshes are at the confluence of the Asón and Clarín rivers and are the stopping place for birds that cross Europe in search of warmer areas during their migrations.

It is not difficult to find gazelles, mallard ducks, cormorants, plovers and other species that will delight any bird watcher.

But there are not only birds and we can also find wild boars, roe deer and wild cats, which makes visiting the Marismas de Santoña an almost obligatory activity.

You can find more information about what to see in Santoña on its official tourism page.